Ohio Wildlife Center
Ohio Wildlife Center
Raccoons
Raccoons are excellent mothers. They will often retrieve their
wandering/displaced offspring and establish alternate nest sites if one nest
is destroyed. Give mother raccoons plenty of time to find and rescue their
young. In accordance with State law, Ohio Wildlife Center can
only accept orphaned raccoons from Franklin and Delaware
counties.
If you are calling about raccoons from outside of these two counties,
please contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources or visit
www.dnr.state.oh.us for a list of wildlife rehabilitators by county.
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) can, and do, live almost anywhere with access to food, water and shelter.
Considered one of the most adaptable mammals in Ohio, these opportunistic animals will eat everything
from berries and acorns to frogs and your trash. Raccoons are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and
being active at night.
Raccoons can breed after one year of age, and generally have one litter annually with an average of four
babies. Raccoon babies will open their eyes around 19 days and be weaned by seven weeks. Even after
being weaned, juvenile raccoons stay with their mother into fall, sometimes through their first winter.
Is this raccoon an orphan?
Raccoons are excellent mothers, and will retrieve offspring when they fall or wander from the nest.
They also have alternate nest sites if the primary nest is destroyed. Give mother raccoons plenty of
time to find and rescue their young.
Ohio Wildlife Center can accept orphaned raccoons from Franklin and Delaware counties
ONLY after there has been an attempt made to reunite them with their mother for at
least one night. Put towels or dry leaves in a box and cut a hole in the side for the mother to come
in and get her babies out, and provide a heat source (hot water bottle or white rice in an old sock and
heat in the microwave - both reheated every two to three hours). Place the box near the location
where you found the babies. The raccoons must be left out overnight, as this is when the adults are
most active and will be searching for their young.
Raccoons in your home or attic?
SCRAM! Wildlife Control, a department at Ohio Wildlife Center,
offers a biologically-sound solution. Call 614-763-0696 for details.
SCRAM! will provide you with the only no-kill animal control service in Ohio.
We use the biology of the animals in question to offer a natural, humane
and permanent solution to deal with wildlife in and around your home or
business. SCRAM! agents will work with you to safely evict, exclude and
prevent wildlife from coming back into your home. Guaranteed!
Administration: 6131 Cook Road, Powell, Ohio 43065 (614) 734-9453
Hospital: 2661 Billingsley Road, Columbus, Ohio 43235 (614) 793-WILD
www.ohiowildlifecenter.org
www.SCRAMwildlife.org
Ohio Wildlife Center
Ohio Wildlife Center
The mother was already trapped or killed?
The State of Ohio considers raccoons to be nuisance animals. By law, Ohio Wildlife Center is not
permitted to raise infant raccoons if you have purposely trapped and relocated or fatally injured an adult
mother raccoon. In accordance with State law, you may bring the babies to Ohio Wildlife Center’s
hospital for euthanasia only. If you worked with a professional trapping company, you must contact the
company to have them return and take responsibility for the offspring as well. If you relocated the
parents, please make every attempt to reunite the babies before bringing them to our hospital.
A raccoon sitting in the yard all day?
Seeing an adult raccoon out during the day does not necessarily mean it is ill; it may have been displaced
from its resting location or it could be malnourished and needs to spend more time searching for food.
However, if the raccoon is showing signs of lethargy, disorientation, seizures, or approaching humans,
there is a chance the animal may be showing signs of the Canine Distemper Virus. Ohio Wildlife Center
receives many positively identified distempered raccoons annually, and unfortunately there is no
treatment available for this disease.
I caught a raccoon in a live trap, where can I relocate it?
Ohio state law states that it is illegal to relocate any rabies vector species (skunk, raccoon, coyote, fox,
bat). Additionally, it is illegal to “relocate” an animal by dumping it off in a Metro Park, State Park, or on
any other public land without permission. All trapped animals must be released on the original premises
within 24 hours of trapping. Relocated animals also have a very poor chance of survival.
I think this animal needs help…
If you believe the animal is sick, injured, or legitimately orphaned, a wildlife rehabilitation
facility should be contacted. If the animal must be held overnight before transport to a rehabilitator,
keep the animal warm, away from children and pets, and do not give anything orally. People often
do not realize the amount of stress an animal endures when it is handled by a human. Consequently,
many infant and juvenile animals are killed by kindness.
Hours of Operation
Our wildlife hospital is located at 2661 Billingsley Road, Columbus, 43235. We are open from 9:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Ohio Wildlife Center is not a government agency; we are a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and
we rely on individual donations. We would greatly appreciate a monetary donation to help with animal
care.
Thank you for caring about Ohio’s wildlife!
Administration: 6131 Cook Road, Powell, Ohio 43065 (614) 734-9453
Hospital: 2661 Billingsley Road, Columbus, Ohio 43235 (614) 793-WILD
www.ohiowildlifecenter.org
www.SCRAMwildlife.org